rulane wala

This note/poem is from the rickshaw driver Prem who has been taking me all around town for the past 7 months, getting my fruits and vegetables, and protecting my life in various little ways. My translation is not totally clear, the poem has lots of literary Hindi in it; he was well educated. He carried it around with him all day, and then gave it to me as I was coming inside tonight. I don't really know what comes through in the translation, or how it sounds, but it made me cry a lot. It turns out he's a poet, and I wanted to share it because of that, because it's so unexpected and beautiful. He's a white-haired grave-looking bony man who barely makes eye-contact except when giving advice and smiles almost too shyly while turning away and muttering "Thik! Thik!" And he always calls me Sahab; this is the first place he has addressed me as behen, sister. I always call him bhai-Sahab, just like how I say Adab-Namaste, to be safe and cover all my bases. Though sometimes I do say Prem-bhai, brother. The other day I asked if I could interview him and record it so that when I left India I would have something to remember all my acquaintances by. This follows in that vein, I think. One more thing worth mentioning is that having daughters, paying for the wedding and providing a dowry, is such a huge financial burden here. The social economics of daughters is the cause of girl abortions, infanticides, and suicides. According to a recent study, there are 500,000 fewer girls than boys born *every year* in India. The people aborting tend to be in higher income brackets. Poor people who cannot afford the burden are paying it. The logic of ecology says that at some point girls will become precious; but if that's true, why not already? Aah, culture, when will you be less confusing.

From this hand’s palm
Which could have had a thousand holes
You gave whatever you wanted
So what did you actually give?

Sister is a traveler, coming and going
Memories are left on the road
My own dear sister
Very lovely and good prayers.

In my life there are two heavily laden aspects
Comfort and sadness.
Comfort has torn its relationship with my life
and sadness has joined my life.

Life has worries, difficulties, and things you have to do
I am settled between these three.
The biggest thing is this
How will I marry my three daughters?
Accha sister ji, now I will end this writing
because tears have started to flow from my eyes.

Sister, the day that you leave, what will happen to us?
(You) will come, will come, to someone
Memories will come.

Your foot servant,
Prem Nath Kashyap